We conducted The Creative Film Appreciation workshop over the last 8 weeks and it was an enriching experience for us the facilitators. There were 9 very inquisitive and curious kids in the age range 12-15 years from various parts of the country as participants. We watched 7 films in all from various countries and genres including Where is the Friend’s House?, Children of Heaven, Princess Mononoke, Innocent Moves, My Octopus Teacher, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and The Breadwinner.
We’d meet every Sunday morning after having watched the film of the week and engage in a circle of sharing and dialogue, dwelling on questions like: What feelings did the film evoke in us? Which characters in the film did we resonate (or not) with and why? If one were the filmmaker, what ending would one have given the film? and the most important question of all, What did we learn about ourselves through the film?
It was a joy to listen to the children and their honest and insightful sharing. It left us with a lot of hope for the future of our society with such bright young kids around who will go on to be leaders of tomorrow in their own unique ways. It was a refreshing boost of inspiration for us at the beginning of every week. A big thanks to the nine children of Prakriti and Naveen Vasudevan, the mentor, for creating this platform of fear-free exchange!